Lowrie Scores 21 Points to Lead UAlbany Women's Basketball to 65-43 Win Over Canisius

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Lindsey Lowrie scored 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead UAlbany to a 65-43 win over Canisius in non-conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center. The Great Danes, who have now won five straight games, improve to 7-2 on the season, while Canisius drops to 2-5.

UAlbany scored the first six points of the game on a three from Lindsey Lowrie and a jumper from Ebone Henry, before Canisius got on the board on a long-range shot from Ashley Wilkes. The Great Danes extended their advantage to 12-5 on another 3-pointer from Lowrie at 13:29. Canisius finally ended a seven minute drought at 10:19 with a trey from Tiahana Mills, but UAlbany responded, as Julie Forster connected on a conventional three-point play at 9:57 to give the Great Danes a 17-8 advantage.

Canisius, which hit three shots from three-point land in the first half, attempted to use long-range shooting to come back into the game, but back-to-back layups by Tammy Phillip kept the Great Danes ahead, 26-13, with just over five minutes to play. The Griffs would hold UAlbany scoreless for the remainder of the half, as the Great Danes managed only 25.6 percent (10-39) shooting from the floor in the period. Canisius wouldn't fare much better, only getting two additional points on a pair of free throws from Ashley Durham with 1:32 to play.

The Golden Griffins had the first possession of the second half, but Henry promptly caused a Canisius turnover and put the ball in the hoop for the first points of the stanza. The Great Danes continued to build their lead, pushing the advantage to 35-17 on a layup by Keyana Williams. However, Canisius got back-to-back 3-pointers from Kayla Hoohuli and Jen Morabito to pull within 12 points with 14:50 left to play. Forster ended the Griffs rally with a jumper in the paint, while Lowrie nailed her fourth 3-pointer of the game to put UAlbany on top, 42-23, with 12:14 on the clock.

UAlbany continued to use a strong defense, combined with Lowrie's hot shooting to hold off any attempt of a Canisius rally. Freshman Shereesha Richards, who had a career-high 17 points in the last outing at La Salle, scored the final four points of the game for the Great Danes, to set the final score.

"Lindsey [Lowrie] was fantastic today," said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, whose team has won its last five games by an average of 25.2 points. "She was a great leader on the court. We ran sets to set up wide-open threes, and she hit them. Some of these ladies are really starting to step up. Overall, it was a great team effort, once again, especially on defense."

Durham led Canisius with 12 points, while Morabito and Jen Lennox added six points apiece. Wilkes finished with five points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Golden Griffins shot 29.5 percent (13-44) from the field, and committed 28 turnovers.

Forster added 14 points for UAlbany, going 6-of-11 from the free throw line. She also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded six steals, five assists, and four blocks. Henry finished with 10 points for the Great Danes, while Phillip grabbed a team-best 10 boards. The Great Danes shot 35.3 percent (24-68) from the field, and outrebounded the Griffs, 49-31.

UAlbany will return to action next Saturday, visiting Delaware State for a 5 p.m. tip off.